If We Could See Tomorrow

Chapter 3 - Awkwardness

My heart was racing, I was seeing stars above my head. Was this real? I never thought it would be this easy. Was it really my love, my Axl standing in front of me? With only a towel wrapped around his waist... We stared at each other for what seemed like an hour, his face getting as red as his hair as he realized that he was standing almost naked in front of a girl. I parted my lips to speak, but nothing came out... What would I say anyway? Hey, Axl. It's me.

Thankfully, rushing steps were heard from the stairs and Stuart interrupted our staring contest by screaming: "Bill!" He immediately got Axl's, or Bill's, attention, wrapping his arms around his waist eagerly. Axl, not being able to get over the awkwardness of the situation, hurriedly patted Stuart's back while holding his towel with the other hand. "Hey Red." he said to the little boy, his voice a lot different than I remembered. Then again, he was a teenage boy... I couldn't help but smile a little when I heard the nickname he used for his little brother. Red... Really? He was "redder" than Stuart.

Axl pulled away way too early, stumbling out of the room while avoiding eye contact with me and clinging on his towel. He disappeared into the corridor in a rush, leaving Stuart with a confused expression on his face. I couldn't resist the urge to hug him myself, so I did, walking towards him and wrapping my arms around him. "Thank you, Stuart." I whispered, loud enough for him to hear. "You helped me find him." He turned his head to me and smiled widely, "No problem, Luna." After squeezing me with his arms in a loving way, he pulled away and ran down the stairs, the happy smile never leaving his face.

I sighed, though the lump in my throat didn't vanish. After closing the door to be alone for a moment, I sat down onto the bed, breathing heavily and staring at the floor. I have found him. I have found my Axl. But now what? What was I gonna do? How was I supposed to... Tell him? Would he remember? No, no he wouldn't... If I explained everything to him, he would stare at me as if I'm insane, and run away just like he did moments ago. So, the only thing I could do was to start from the beginning. Introducing myself to him as if it is the first time we saw each other. And make him love me again...

But in this limited time? I didn't even know how long I was allowed to be here. When my time ends, I'll have to leave... Leave and start floating in time again, every minute I spend in that time tunnel, a year in real life passing... How was I supposed to convince Axl to leave everything he has behind and come with me? To this alternate universe in which we could be together? He wouldn't even believe me... He wouldn't... No one would. What was I going to say to all those other people? To Stuart? To Don? To Mrs. Williams who decided to help me as much as she can without questioning? I hadn't even told them my real name, how long was I gonna be able to live with these lies?

With my face in my palms, I started sobbing. There was no way, no way I could have him again. He had his own life, he would never want to give up everything just to be with me. I had no chance with him, not a single one.

I was startled by a clicking sound, raising my head and seeing the door knob turning slowly. Hesitatingly, even... The door opened at a snail's pace, revealing the red-headed boy, still only with a towel. It was him. Obviously hoping that I was not in the room, he seemed totally disappointed when we made eye contact, blushing wildly again. He stepped into the room worriedly, scratching the back of his head and clearing his throat. "Hey," he started silently, "Sorry, I... Um..." He struggled to explain himself, as I examined the beautiful soft skin of his, fresh water drops still visible. "This is my room and I need to put some clothes on, so..."

I jumped to my feet when I heard that, I had no idea... I hadn't even really looked at the room before. "Oh, I didn't know. I'm so sorry." I quickly apologized, walking towards the door. I stopped right there, looking at him. This time he hesitatingly looked back at me, his green eyes shining under the light. We started staring at each other once again, none of us saying a word. Then, I decided to be the one to break the silence. "My name's Luna." I briefly stated, holding up my hand for him to shake, or hold... "Bill." he replied in a second, grabbing my hand shakily. My heart almost jumped out of my chest when I felt his touch, after all those years... His warm and soft hand holding mine, all I wanted to do was to caress his skin, to push myself forward and wrap my arms around his neck, to be in his arms again, peaceful and secure... I couldn't help but lightly stroke his hand with my thumb, not realizing that I have been staring into his eyes the whole time. 

My heart skipped a beat when his thumb did the same, caressing my hand so lightly that I could barely feel it. My tears almost spilled from happiness, the butterflies in my stomach throwing a feast. Did he remember me? Did he? Was that the reason he was doing that? I felt his hand sweating, and him getting uncomfortable. He probably never held a girl's hand before, let alone caress it. Though it was not enough for me, I wanted him to hold it more tightly and bring it to his mouth, affectionately kissing the top of it. 

He slightly loosened his grip, perhaps wanting to let go of my hand. I didn't know for how long we'd been holding hands, but it sure didn't seem like a normal action to Axl. I let go of his hand, realizing that mine was glistening with sweat as well. We stood there for a while, not being able to decide what to do. I was missing his touch... Then I looked up at him and smiled a little, quickly reaching for the door knob and stepping out of the room without looking back. Oh god...

That was when I ran into Mrs. Williams, smiling at me warmly while walking up the stairs. "Oh look at you! This gown looks beautiful on you sweetheart!" she exclaimed, touching the fabric of the gown I was wearing. "Much better than the clothes you were wearing before, don't you think?" she winked at me. "Thank you so much Mrs. Williams, I feel a lot better now." I smiled back at her widely, meaning every word I'd said. "You're welcome, dear. Now, why don't you get some sleep? It's pretty late." She held my arm and directed me towards the room beside Axl's, opening the door with her other hand. "You can sleep in here, have sweet dreams." she smiled once again, rushing to another room before I could even thank her again. 

I closed the door and threw myself onto the bed, feeling exhausted. Not only because of the time travel I've made, but also because of the hours I've spent trying to arrive at Lafayette, and the struggles I've been through to find Axl. I closed my eyes, hoping to drift off to sleep immediately. But I just couldn't.

I couldn't stop thinking about him. All the sweet moments we've had before, before I was tore apart from him. The way we loved each other... Would I ever have that again? Have those feelings in my life? The way we held hands just a moment ago... I felt it again, I felt the love I've always had for him. But I wonder if he did... Then again, would he caress my hand like that if he didn't feel anything? I doubted it. It still existed. The magical bond between us still existed, maybe that was why I was able to find him this easily. The bond, and the love... They were still there... I just hoped, with all my heart, that the inescapable curse of time wouldn't break the bond, again...

...

Hey everyone! I'm finally back! I will be much more active from now on, as I'm finally on my summer break. And about the story, well, I'm sorry if it's too confusing. I just love writing experimental stuff... This whole time travel thing will be clearer soon I promise, and you will have more information about the main character. But still, there will be a lot of things that'll remain unanswered, I'm sorry about that. Hope you enjoyed!